Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

Digital picture frames are nothing new, however, the guys over at RedPost are taking the idea a little bit further than most companies. Rather than selling a puny 7-inch screen with an SD card slot, they’ve got their RedPost Sign (beta) which has a lot more to offer. First, it has a nice 19-inch screen, which not only is great for viewing pictures but also makes it great as signage for business purposes. On the inside you’ll find a tiny PC with a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU and 1GB of RAM running a custom Linux distro. Now that’s my kind of picture frame.

I’ve actually had the opportunity to test out one of these Signs, and I must say that I never actually thought about purchasing a digital frame until I saw this. One of the first things you have to get past is the fact that it is big and heavy. The frame itself is around 3.5” thick, (4.5” if you count the Wi-Fi antenna sticking out the back) and while I didn’t have a scale handy, I would guess that it would take more than two swallows to carry one of these (even if they were African swallows). The size and weight are due to the fact that they are building them by hand out of industrial materials, and they’re packing a small computer on the inside.

If you’re the kind of person that loves Linux, you’ll love the Sign. Your storage device is actually a flash drive, which not only makes it easy to upgrade, but it makes installing a new OS quite simple. Just pop it into your desktop and install. If you’re more into Windows, you could always put on a copy of TinyXP or something similar to suit your needs. You can read my entire review after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

There’s a lot of great reasons to live in the ‘great white north’ known as Canada, but plenty of downsides too. On one hand there’s an abundant supply of Salt & Vinegar or Ketchup flavored potato chips, you can drive 100 (kph) on all the major highways and believe it or not, I actually like traveling by dog sled to work. But on the other hand, things aren’t always so great if you’re like me and have a fondness for gadgets. Most of the time we get new gear at the same time as our southern friends, but other times we’re not so lucky. I mean it’s still a few days until I can ‘officially’ buy an iPhone here.

Such was the case with the Microsoft Zune as well. While the player has been available in the US since November of 2006, it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that you could actually walk into a Canadian electronics store and pick one up. Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to put the 8GB model through its paces, and if you’ve been looking for a non-Apple MP3 player, you can read my full Zune review after the jump. (And I won’t feel slighted if our American readers decide to skip this particular review.)

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By Andrew Liszewski

As a blogger I end up reading about hundreds of different gadgets on a weekly basis. And unfortunately my experience with the majority of them is limited to what information is provided on a company’s website or in a press release. So when I write about a gadget that I haven’t actually had the chance to play with, I’m forced to rely on those ‘facts’ as well as my experiences with similar technology when it comes to determining if a given device has the potential to be worth my (and your) investment. Sometimes I’m impressed with their functionality or feature list, and other times I’m less than convinced about a product’s claims.

Such was the case with the BlissLights Laser Wand which I originally wrote about just over a month ago. While we here at OhGizmo! are big fans of lasers, I questioned the safety and overall usefulness of the Laser Wand, and in the end I wasn’t particularly impressed. However, shortly after writing that post I was contacted by BlissLights who felt that if I had the chance to actually play with the Laser Wand I might change my opinion. So because I can never say no to the opportunity of playing with a laser, I agreed to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a try.

And I can honestly say that after playing with it for a few weeks, my opinion has changed. While it might not be the best choice if you’re specifically looking for a laser pointer, the BlissLights Laser Wand will make a unique addition to any laser fan’s collection, and you can read my full review of it after the jump.

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By Ian Chiu

When room space is in scarcity, not everyone can afford a 5.1 surround system for their computer entertainment system. That however doesn’t mean one has to miss the theatrical experience. SRS earlier has come up with TruSurround HD which in essence allows for virtualization of up to 6.1 channels on a 2.1 speaker set. Their processing techniques create phantom speakers that trick you into thinking that sound is coming from a certain direction when it is in reality coming from the front. While the technology is specifically for mid-range and high-end TV market, the SRS TruSurround HD has made its way into Logitech’s Z Cinema.

The Logitech 2.1 speaker set also benefits from this proprietary audio enhancement, but since the TruSurround HD requires multi-channel input (for virtualization), USB is employed to replace the analog audio cables. Each satellite puts out 35W RMS, with right speaker doubling as a receiver for the bundled Vista MCE remote as well as LCD screen for status display. In Everything USB’s review, the Z Cinema was praised for doing its job right; the reviewer felt a more submersive experience with the surround sound emulation enabled. He tested it with Transformers (the movie), 300, Half-Life 2 and Call of Duty 4. The only disappointment came from the lack of volume produced and the price which, as of this writing, is $220.

For full review, hit the link below.

[ Logitech Z Cinema Review @ Everything USB ]

By Evan Ackerman

Dragon Lasers has seen fit to entrust me with another one of their high powered lasers to review (yay!). The Spartan is a 250mW green laser, meaning that it’s functionally the same as the Hulk laser that I reviewed last November. Rather than rewrite that review, I’m going to be focusing mostly on how the Spartan is different (and, I think, better) than the Hulk, with some eye candy thrown in for good measure. Check it out, after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Given Moore’s Law, and the general pattern of technological advancement over the past 20 years, it’s inevitable that we’ll all be carrying around tiny flash drives capable of storing terabytes of data one day. But even with that in mind, I’m still impressed with Corsair’s latest Flash Survivor USB drive that packs a whopping 32GB into a relatively compact package. What also sets the Flash Survivor apart from other USB drives is its ultra rugged design. You may live your whole life without ever needing a waterproof flash drive that has a CNC-milled anodized aircraft-grade aluminum case, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

So if you happen to be in the market for a new flash drive, or just like looking at things made from machined aluminum (guilty) you can read my full review of the Corsair 32GB Flash Survivor after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Whenever I listen to music I like to block out all the background noise and other sounds around me. So instead of speakers, I usually opt for either a set of earbuds or full-sized headphones. While it means I can enjoy my music without distraction, I unfortunately often end up missing phone calls or delivery men knocking on my door when I’m at home. It’s even more of a concern if I’m out wandering the city, as I have to be extra conscious of people, bicycles and other vehicles I don’t hear.

And that’s what interested me in the AirDrives as an alternative to my regular headphones. Instead of completely covering or blocking the ear canal, they’re designed to sit just outside your ears, allowing you to hear your music as well as everything else going on around you. The AirDrives were created by Mad Catz and the company has recently released a version designed specifically for the iPhone. I had a chance to try them out and you can find my full review of the AirDrives for the iPhone after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

There was a lot of excitement when Asus announced the EEE. It promised all of the functionality of a real PC (running Linux or Windows) with a form factor that was smaller than any other laptop on the market. While there were trade-offs when it came to screen real estate and memory, the relatively cheap price made it an instant hit when it was finally available. However, since the Asus EEE was the first to usher in a new wave of ultra-compact laptops, there were next to no accessories available for it when it hit the market. Thankfully though, with a flood of other ultra-compact laptops on the way, we’re starting to see more and more third-party accessories become available.

A few weeks ago WaterField Designs announced a version of their SleeveCase for the upcoming HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, but since I’ve already chosen the Asus camp I decided to take a look at a version of the case designed for the EEE instead. You can find my complete review of the WaterField Designs EEE SleeveCase after the jump.

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By Evan Ackerman

I’m not much of a cell phone person. I’d like to be, but I’m not… The phone I have now (some sort of Samsung slider thing) exists for the sole purpose of making phone calls. Novel, I know. And until I got a chance to spend some time with a phone that does a little more, I didn’t really have any idea what I was missing. Read my full review of the Kyocera Wild Card cellphone, on Virgin Mobile’s 3G network, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »